Rockin Studio Day!

I got to spend seven hours in the studio today. I finished the section shown below, in a pretty poor photo. It is not this wonky, just my camera angle. I finished putting together the center section of my intuition quilt and playing with border ideas. After playing with all the purples with Bella, I was drawn to them for this quilt. I picked out some of my favorites, and pieced together the first border. I then sewed together strips to create pieces for the second border, which will alternate between created fabric and strings. It will be 6.5 inches wide. At the present time, the piece is 29 x 32. I am aiming for a lap quilt size. I am really enjoying this process.

Here is the third section of the Oh My Stars BOM quilt from Planet Patchwork. The fourth section was released today and I will cut it out tomorrow. I may even get it pieced if tomorrow is anything like today.

A commenter asked me about starters and enders, so I took some photos to explain. In the photo on the left, the starter is just behind the needle to make room for the larger piece I am working on. In the photo at the right, I have finished my seam on the big piece and grabbed a small block from another project I am working on. I will sew that seam most of the way down, then park my needle down. In the last photo, I show the two small blocks for the second project that were done for the seam on the larger project. For each seam I sew on one project, I sew two on the smaller one. I love this method because I always have more than one project going at a time, and sometimes one of them is not as interesting to sew together as the other. I hope this helps explain the way I use starters and enders.

Bella's Quilt

I finished piecing and quilting Bella's quilt late last night. Bella loved the tiny hearts in the mauve fabric and in fun hearts in the red fabric. I decided to use hearts to quilt this small piece. It turned out to be 17"x15". Bella gave it to her Grandma Edwards this afternoon.

While I was putting Bella's quilt together, I also pieced this preemie quilt. I recently learned a great tip about how to save thread, save time clipping, and work on two quilts at once. You know that little piece of fabric you use at the beginning and ending of chain stitching that ends up with serious leggy strings? A quilting pal told me she creates her preemie quilts by using those blocks as the starters and enders on these strings. So, I started doing that. Instead of throwing away thread filled scraps, I ended up with a preemie quilt top. This is a very valuable tip.

Quilting with my granddaughter

My granddaughter, Bella, is two and a half years old. We have been encouraging her to express herself through art and color since she could hold a crayon. She has known all her colors for a very long time, and she is great at shapes. She also holds very strong opinions. It is with all these things in mind, I asked her if she wanted to make a quilt for her Grandma Edwards, who is a quilter extraordinaire. She has a couple of wonderful quilts from that grandmother, so she readily agreed. After asking her what colors she wanted to use and what shapes, I began to prepare for this great adventure.

On Sunday, when she came over, I pulled out the bins with the pink, red, and purple scraps. We took them into the family room/photography studio where she had plenty of room to spread them out and make her fabric selections. It took her a while, but she spread every piece of fabric from both bins all over that room, the dining room, and the entry. She wandered around, looking at the colors and patterns, and then selected the fabrics she wanted in the quilt. I set them aside and told her we would play with them again on Tuesday.

I cut the shapes on Monday, and when Bella arrived on Tuesday, I handed her a basket of pieces and showed her the area on the design wall that was just for her quilt for Grandma. She played with a felt board before, so she knew just what to do. Here she is explaining how she is arranging the pieces. My wonderful husband, Tom, took this series of photos to document the process.
Bella really enjoyed the process, explaining why she put certain pieces next to other pieces. She move them around, and when she was done, she had everything to her liking. My challenge was to move the pieces closer together without messing with her ideas. I did that while she was napping.

The designer at work.

When Bella woke up, I gave her an opportunity to rearrange the pieces, which she did. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photograph of the final layout. After she left, I sewed the HSTs. Tomorrow, I will sew the small quilt together. It is based on 2" squares, mostly. I think it may be a Valentine's day end table topper. Bella can't wait to give it to Grandma Edwards. I will post a photo with Bella and the final piece later in the week.

Short studio time today

Today, Tom and I drove to Gig Harbor to have an artist's date. We visited a gallery, took photographs, ate a nice lunch, and visited Harbor Quilts. I didn't get into the studio very much, but I did get this block made for the Oh, My Stars quilt. There is another block for this section, but it will have to wait until tomorrow.
Tomorrow, I will also have photos of my granddaughter (2 1/2 years old) selecting fabric to make a quilt for her other grandmother. She wants squares, triangles, circles and rectangles. She chose pinks, reds, and purples - about 12 fabrics from my stash, in all. Tuesday, I will have the shapes ready for her to play with on the design wall. Once she figures out a pattern she likes, I will sew it together. It should be a fun project.

Starting the star quilt

Today, I started sewing the BOM from Planet Patchwork, Oh, My Stars by Diane Hundley. In the original quilt, Diane used primary colors with a black ground. That is just not me. I also wanted to make this strictly out of my stash, so I went with teals, turquoise, and golds and a light ground. This first section looks like a bit of a hodge-podge where nothing goes together. I have cut out the pieces for sections 2 and 3, using some of the same fabrics, and hope it comes together better when those are done. I love all these fabrics, so it will be something I like in the end. My favorite fabric in this section is the teal with peach flowers in the lower right flower block. I really wish I had more of it, or at least a manufacturer. I will just have to keep my eye out.

I was going through the bin of teals and turquoises when I found a very small amount of the fabric in the middle of this block. I fell in love instantly with this moth. I dug some more and came up with this white with a small blue print the same blue as in the moth. Then I snagged some scraps from the above project, including the rust corners, and put this together. I am not sure what I am going to do with it yet, but I really like it. It is about 8" square. I think it may become the center in a table topper for my end table. I will post it when I finish it.

Tomorrow, Sunday, I am going on an adventure with my husband. We are going to take some photographs for his stock photo business. Of course, there is a quilt shop on the way. Hopefully, we will have great photos and tales of Harbor Quilts in Gig Harbor, WA.

Thinking About Color

I finally found some time to get back to my intuition quilt. I keep finding wonderful colors and patterns in my stash bins (a gift from a friend) that I want to include in the quilt. Fortunately, the original color palette is one I can add my favorite colors to. I love interesting color combinations. I tend to select fabric in the olive green, gold tone, rusty orange, teal blue, and turquoise families. There are some purples that work really well in this group. I can also add other blues and greens and an occasional touch of bright orange. I really enjoy the happiness and the richness of these colors together.

For the house, I added the orange column to liven up the plain color of the house. I decided to use the golden batik to symbolize a warm sunny day. I found a small piece of the flower fabric on the left and knew I had to use it. There is a bit more of this I will use elsewhere in the quilt. The roof is made from the left over sashing and border of the D9P. In fact, many of the scraps used in this quilt are from the quilts I made last year as gifts for the family. I love having something to remind me of these quilts.

After I made the house, I decided to make some fabric and create another block for the quilt.

This is still a challenge to me. It is like making a collage, only I have to figure out how to sew it together - the challenge part. I chose this block to introduce a little more blue. They are scraps from a challenge quilt I am working on. You can see below how both these new blocks fit into the growing intuition quilt.

Three More Blocks and a Mug Rug

I have decided that making blocks is a good way to learn different techniques. I have also used the time to try and get a good 1/4 inch line on my sewing machine. I am getting better at cutting accurately, as well. All these are good things. The top block is the last of the block exchange for February at Fayza's Fabric Exchange. If you are interested in different kinds of exchanges, including round robins, this is the site for you.

While I was playing, I made this 6"churn dash. I like this block, and may make more for another lap quilt. I don't think I will use such a bright white on all of them.

This is the broken sugar bowl BOM for the guild. It is a 12" block. It will be interesting to see all the different green and white blocks at the next guild meeting.

Finally, I figured out what to do with one of the exchange blocks I received. I cut it into four triangles. I then turned them around and created two blocks that looked like this. I decided to turn them into mug rugs. Mug rugs are larger than coasters. They are perfect for a resting place for a drink and a small snack. If you look really closely, you can see the spiral I quilted on each black and white square.

I think I am going to start working on making the quilts I want to make for a while. Before I left the studio this afternoon, I cut some pieces for a Planet Patchwork BOM project for 2010-2011. This one is "Oh, My Stars" designed by Diane Hundley. I am only three months behind. When I get back in the studio on Thursday, I am going to work on catching up. I have changed the colors completely. I will post photos of my progress on Thursday.

Four more 12 inch blocks

I spent the day today creating more 12 inch blocks for the online exchange. I am having fun making blocks with fabric I like and trying out different blocks. The top two were made with more fall colors, and I have enough fabric left to make a small quilt. I like this block, but I will play with the fabric layout some more. The bottom two are made with more civil war era prints. I did some strip piecing, and used them in two different ways. It is hard to see in the photograph that there are five rows in the stripped part. I am not sure I really like the dark brown on the bottom right, but it is growing on me. Maybe if I used it as inner strips with lighter outer strips, I would like it better. Actually, I do like it better on the wall than on the computer. I have one more to go before they all go in the mail.

I have received three blocks from other members of the exchange. Now that I have started this, I am not sure what I will do with the blocks from others. These three are very different from anything I would make. All are well made. I like each one for different reasons. I think I could make table runners out of them, not together of course. I will have to dig through my stash and see what I can find that will go with them. If any of you participate in block exchanges where you get individual blocks from different quilters, what do you do with them?

More 12 inch block play

Today, I did some fusible applique for a presentation quilt for a guild member. I did not photograph those yet. They are Scottie dogs with plaid blankets. Cute, if you like that sort of thing. I also made this 12 inch block for an online block exchange. The colors didn't show up perfectly, but this is close. I actually used the reverse side of the fabric with the large circles because the circles showed up better. The black is not as dark as it looks in this photo, but it is close. I was going for modern, sophisticated. The block was very easy, and I like how it turned out. I think I may make some other blocks like this for myself.
The other thing I did today was finish the top for the D9P. I did a little piecing on the inner border to add interest. I am very happy with it. I have to piece the back together because the fabric I am using is not quite big enough. I have designed something fun to do to make it bigger, and attractive at the same time. I may get this on the quilt frame by Monday, meeting the timeline I set for myself.

This is what my new design wall looks like today. I am very happy with the size and the holding power of the felt/flannel.

I spend a good long day in the studio today working on the D9P and my intuition quilt. I got all the 9 patches done, cut, rearranged, and sewn together. Then, I cut the sash pieces, put together the rows, and celebrated with a piece of dark chocolate. I really love the colors in this quilt. I wanted to use a darker sashing. At first, I was going to use a solid brown, but an end of bolt piece of paisley jumped out at me. I has dark brown, golds, greens, and oranges. What could be more perfect. I am going to add a border of this paisley, then a lighter border of a gold tone. It appears I have broken some rules here of combining traditional patterned fabric with modern prints with batik. I didn't know there were rules about this sort of thing, and I am glad. I just look at the colors and see if they will go well together. I've never been much of a purist in art. Below is a detail so you can see the sash.

I have been looking at my intuition quilt for a few days without getting back to it. I decided to add a light border around the focal square, and then add the flying geese to two sides. I used the light fabric because I thought the quilt needed a place to rest your eyes between busy units. I find that I think about adding things I really like to this quilt. I am going to make some house blocks because I enjoying being at home, or in someone else's house. I am also going to make some applique bird blocks because I really like wild birds. I may even stick in a sunflower or two, and definitely some moons and stars. There will also be more wonky blocks like the center, only smaller. I think this may take me a while, but I am enjoying where it is going.

Busy studio day

I had a very busy day in the studio today, and got a lot done. I finished piecing 12 of the 16 nine patch blocks for Mary Ann's quilt. I just had to cut them up and get them on the design wall. Of course, I had to go buy a new design wall because my two small ones were filled. I am loving the colors of this quilt. It is primarily batiks I have collected over time, some left over fabric I had from Moda's Tranquility line, and a wonderful piece of purple fabric, also from Moda. I found some rich warm brownish paisley for sashing and borders. On Thursday, when I get back into the studio, I will finish up the last four nine patch squares, cut them up, add them to the wall, and start to cut and sew the new blocks together. I have designed this so there won't be any seams to match, at least not too many.

I also got all the strip units sewn and cut for the bonus grab bag quilt. There will be 30 5 inch squares. I am going to add sashing and borders to make this a comfortable lap quilt. I think there may be enough fabric in the bag to complete the top.

I have quilt guild tonight. I am looking forward to seeing everyone and hearing what everyone got over the holidays that is quilt related . We also get our new block of the month, and make some decisions about other projects we may want to continue or not. I am hoping we continue the mystery quilt, but I will have to wait and see until this evening.

A Bonus Quilt from a Grab Bag

I am a sucker for grab bags. When I was a kid, I used to save my allowance to by the sealed brown paper bags and the five and dime. I guess that dates me, but I don't know what the equivalent would be today. Anyway, I savored the moment that I got the bag home to open it. The other day, when I went to Pieces, I looked through the grab bags, which were clear, and came up with two of them. I paid $2.25 for each. Today, I opened the first one and was totally surprised. Some wonderful person had thrown in all the leftovers from a wonderful, I am guessing, quilt project. After some calculation, I figured out I have enough fabric in strips and squares to make a wonderful lap quilt. I did some sewing of strips, and put together one of the 30 blocks. The inside squares will all be the same. There are five different fabrics for the smaller squares. I will do sashing with the light. There is enough of the print fabric to do cornerstones in the sashing. Don't know if I will do it, but I am thinking about it. I am pretty excited about my $2.25 quilt.

Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative quilt

This is my first quilt for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. I first discovered this program on The Quilt Show blog. I really like that there are so many charitable opportunities for quilters. I am currently involved in four. I have mentioned the American Hero Quilt project, my quild's preemie quilts for babies in a local NICU (neonatal intensive care unit), and making blocks for a cancer patient's quilt. This quilt is 9" by 12". The quilts for this project can be no bigger. They have to fit in a priority mailer from the post office. These small quilts are auctioned to raise funding for Alzheimer's research. I think it is a fantastic idea. There are art quilts as well as more traditional style quilts. Check it out and see if there are any treasures calling your name.

I also completed four more blocks for the disappearing nine patch. The other thing I got done this morning was to wash and iron all the new fabric I purchased at my going out of business quilt shop, Pieces, in Renton. When I went in, I knew I wanted fabric to back my American hero quilt, when I get it done. I also looked for lights, Asian prints, brights, and some African prints. Some of these were to fill holes in my stash (lights), and others just needed to come home with me. Quilting is certainly an expensive art. If not for the generosity of a friend who decided to give me her large stash when she quit quilting, I would not be able to do any of the things I am now doing. I have been building my stash for a couple of years, little by little.

I have now completed six quilts, including the alzheimer's quilt. I am going to add my goal list for 2011 in the sidebar. I need to put it somewhere to remind myself not to keep adding more without finishing what is already on my list. I also have to figure out how to make quilt labels, and a good way to name my quilts. <>

Stars and 9 patch blocks

I finally finished the 2000 Member Star created by Carol Doak. I am very pleased that it came together with only one big pattern glitch on my part. Can you see it? I also need to plan my colors a little better next time. I love all these colors, but wish I had spaced the lights differently. I will still use it in my star sampler quilt that I am working on. I guess I will have to go through my stash and find colors I can use, then save my pennies to go to the quilt store again.

Speaking of quilt stores, my local quilt store is shutting its doors very soon. This makes me very sad. In this time of difficult economics, many small independent book and quilt stores are having a very difficult time. Another nearby store that I used to really like moved in with a bead store and a Bernina shop. They carry fewer fabrics, and the selection is really not what it used to be. The closest fabric store is the chain store I was complaining about the other day. I think I will have a very hard time going back after my last visit. In addition to the fact that they don't have great fabrics, they have lousy service. I was standing in a long line at the check out counter, where there was one person working. There were three people standing at the cutting table helping one customer, but mostly chatting about some reality TV show. I really don't like bad service. I guess I will have to venture further afield to the shop in Auburn, or Puyallup, or Gig Harbor. I feel a field trip coming on.

The last thing I did in the studio today was to organize the squares for my disappearing nine patch. I even got four basic squares sewn together. I am loving the colors. I am using a purple piece in the center of each block that I will make the pattern around. I love that it has radiating circles.